What gets lost in all of the political maneuvering is the very real progress that Los Angeles has made.

Supt. John Deasy and the board have together brought an unrelenting focus on poor children of color and there has been much progress as a result of his leadership including increased graduation and attendance rates, increases in the numbers of African American and Latino students taking Advanced Placement courses and exams, and reduced suspensions along with an overhaul of the school discipline policy.

It is equally important to note the day-to-day real contributions of teachers to this recent progress.

Voters in Los Angeles reinforced their confidence in this progress when they voted approval of Proposition 30 which allowed us to make key investments in our schools.

“We have a responsibility to work together and bring the focus back to improving academic achievement for our students. They cannot wait.”

Supt. Deasy and the Board of Education wisely invested these resources in hiring more teachers, counselors, and principals after devastating budget cuts, and developed a strategy to bridge the technology gap for poor students. They also worked with community partners to develop a plan for investing Prop 30 tax dollars for our most at-risk students including foster children, special needs students and English language learners.

Whether the Superintendent and Board can continue to work together appears to be an open question. But Los Angeles is at another crossroads. In moving forward under John Deasy or any successor, unless we pull together as Board, teachers, and full civic community, we run the risk of losing the student achievement gains we have made during a short period of time.

We have a responsibility to work together and bring the focus back to improving academic achievement for our students. They cannot wait.

George Kieffer serves on the Board of Regents of the University of California, is former chair of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and chairs the Los Angeles Civic Alliance. He is the author of The Strategy of Meetings and contributing author of Governing Public Colleges & Universities.